Posts from January 2018 (Page 2)

It’s hard to start conversation. We know this. For most of the world, it’s hard to randomly generate something from nothing when it relates to a complete stranger. Since this week we’ve asked all of you to have one of those conversations, we’ve also decided that we should spend this week giving you advice on how to start those conversations. The first thing you have to do…

Romans 8:1 is the most beautiful part of the love we have from God in his grace and forgiveness. The truth that we are not condemned. Nothing condemns us. It’s gone. The idea of Jesus walking away. The thought that He might give up on me. The lie that I can’t go too far or get too deep for him to ever save me, it shattered. This isn’t to say people…

I rescued a cat a few years back. He was shy and skittish. He was somewhere around a year old when I got him. I was in a new apartment that didn’t feel like a home and he was an abandoned cat that needed a home. His name is Parish. It was the perfect match. Four years later, Parish doesn’t really like people. He’s fat, angry, and kinda mean at times (I love it).…

It’s fun sometimes to think about what you’d do if you won the lottery, isn’t it? We list the things we’d buy if we ever got to the point of unlimited cash. We know the things we would do if money wasn’t an issue because currently, it is. Right now, the reason I don’t have a room for each of my hobbies is because of money. The reason I don’t have a…

Jesus told a story once of a man who owed a lot of money. He had no way to pay his debt, and miraculously the debtor had everything forgiven by his lender. Not long after, the debtor saw a man who owed him a measly amount, and he snatched him up in the street, started choking and threatening the man for his money. The lender saw this and was amazed. How could a man…

Forgiveness is tricky. We’ve all had someone tell us they forgive us and then come back a few days, weeks, or years later to slam it in our face. It’s this thing we know, but we also know it to have limitations. That’s what’s so crazy about the way God forgives us. He doesn’t hold on to it, He doesn’t hold a grudge against us, and He doesn’t wait for His chance to…

Faith can be a problem. Let’s be honest. It’s easy to look really good on paper and have no real time with Jesus. It’s easy to let your heart get hard and start living a rigid structured, and Christless life. Some call it legalism. Others call it obedience. The scripture calls it vanity. It’s empty. It’s worthless. When we follow our own rules and not…

We have made a few changes within our staff over the last few months. Check out the updated Leaders page. During this time of transition, our team of elders have taken the position of Interim Lead Pastor. These four men are well-established at Origins, with the least tenured having been a member for 4 years. As a staff, we will continue to operate as a team…

So just give away all my hobbies and spend every moment reading the Bible? Pass. Hard pass. We all have things we love to do. And God puts those passions in us for a reason. (Not the sinful ones, get your mind out of the gutter.) We have these passions and desires and things we love to do and enjoy doing and things that help us relax, and those are great.…

What about my marriage? Should my spouse be the most important thing in my life? Honestly, no. They should be the most important person, but not the most important thing in your life. The place of priority in your life should be Jesus. It should be knowing Him more and loving him more. Because a husband not being poured into by God can never love his wife the way…

So, if I’m only supposed to focus on Jesus, does that mean abandoning my family, friends, job, and hobbies to like just pray all day? No. It means we prioritize and repurpose. You can’t leave your job. You’ve got bills. We all do. Yet, when we’re at work, our purpose shouldn’t be to make money. We’re blessed and we get to do that. But our ultimate goal should…

It’s hard to keep our focus on the right things. With so many struggles and problems and distractions, it’s easy to forget and neglect our true calling and goal. We can find ourselves devoted to another person, or a career, or our kids, or any number of things that may not be bad, but are definitely not our goal in this life. What distracts you? What keeps you from…